National Men’s Health Month and Dental Health

Our patient’s healthy and beautiful smile is top priority during any visit with Dr. Kathi Mansell. Dr. Mansell encouraging men to pay close attention to their oral health, especially During National Men’s Health Month.

Men’s Health Month is a national health education program created to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage the detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.

Oral health in men has been linked to many other health factors from heart disease to reproductive health issues and cancer. The American Academy of Periodontology has found that gum disease is higher in men (56.4 percent) than in women (38.4 percent).

Men are also two times more likely to get oral cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. This has been attributed to higher rates of alcohol and tobacco use by men.

Research has found that men with a history of gum disease are 14 percent more likely to develop cancer than men with healthy gums.

All the while, oral cancer is on the rise. A report by FAIR Health, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare data, reports that health insurance claims for oral cancer jumped 61 percent from 2011 to 2015, with three times more men than women reporting having oral cancer.

Our dental team is dedicated to providing personalized and gentle care for you.